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Textiles

The 50,000 objects in the textile collections fall into two main categories: raw fibers, yarns, and fabrics, and machines, tools, and other textile technology. Shawls, coverlets, samplers, laces, linens, synthetics, and other fabrics are part of the first group, along with the 400 quilts in the National Quilt Collection. Some of the Museum's most popular artifacts, such as the Star-Spangled Banner and the gowns of the first ladies, have an obvious textile connection.

The machinery and tools include spinning wheels, sewing machines, thimbles, needlework tools, looms, and an invention that changed the course of American agriculture and society. A model of Eli Whitney's cotton gin, made by the inventor in the early 1800s, shows the workings of a machine that helped make cotton plantations profitable in the South and encouraged the spread of slavery.

The weaver of this overshot coverlet is unknown. The coverlet is made of cotton and wool, and features a “Double Bowknot” pattern on a large scale. The colors used are white, red and green, and it was probably made in the first half of the 19th century. There is a center seam, as the coverlet was woven in two sections. The use of green in the coverlet is somewhat unusual. In the first half of the 19th century, there was no direct green dye. To make green, yarns and fabric were first dyed blue, and then yellow. A direct green dye was not developed until the invention of synthetic dyes in the middle of the 19th century.

Images of dogs can be seen in the lower corners of this coverlet, along with this inscription: “1831EAW/Pompey.” The coverlet is made of cotton and wool, and has an attached fringe on two sides and a self border on the lower edge. It features a double rose design in the center, while the lower edge features double eagles. It is believed to have been made in Pompey, Onondaga Co., New York. The name of the weaver is unknown. This coverlet was made during the “Fancy” period in the decorative arts. During this period objects were decorated with bright colors and “busy” designs as opposed to the more classical motifs used in earlier periods.

The weaver and original owner of this very complex, well worn, single-woven, linen, cotton and wool, overshot coverlet, dated 1784, are unknown. The letters “E M” and the date are woven into the coverlet on the lower right hand side, using a hand technique. We do not know if

“E M” stands for name of the owner or the weaver. In the 18th century it was not unusual for textiles to be marked with the initials of the owner, but it was usually done with embroidery. The initials identified the coverlet as the woman's property. Women could own and inherit "moveable" property.

The overall patterns used in this coverlet are “Rose” and “Tables,” and there are two shades of indigo blue used in a band effect. The coverlet was woven in two sections, and then sewn together. The original size of the sections and the coverlet as a whole are unknown, as there are no original edges present. This coverlet was found in Massachusetts. In the18th century, a young woman might commission the weaving of a coverlet or receive one as a gift, and put it in her dowry (hope chest) saving it for use after marriage.

The date 1787 and the letters “M S” are woven into a corner of this cotton, linen, and wool, single-woven overshot coverlet. The center seam indicates the coverlet was woven in two sections that were sewn together. One section is an inch smaller than the other. The pattern could be a variation of “Kings Flower” pattern or “Roses and Tables.” This Coverlet was found in New York State. It is not known if “M S” are the initials of the weaver or the owner, both of whom are unknown. In the 18th century, household textiles were prized possessions, and it was not unusual for them to be marked with the owner’s initials and the date. However, the marking was usually done with embroidery.

Elizabeth Deuel is said to have made this single-woven, all linen coverlet in1790, in the Saratoga region of New York State. Her name and the date are cross-stitched into the lower edge of the coverlet just above the fringe. A search of the 1790 census of the area produced no one with the surname Deuel. More research is needed to determine where Miss Deuel lived, and if she was the weaver or the owner of this coverlet. In the 18th century, it was common for household textiles to be marked with the initials or name of the owner and the date. The average colonial home did not have a great number of household textiles, and they were considered important possessions. This coverlet was woven in two sections that were then sewn together.

The weaver of this single-woven overshot coverlet is unknown. It is made entirely of wool, and was probably woven in the late 18th or early 19th century. The pattern used is similar to the patterns known as “Rose of Sharon” and “Freeman’s Felicity.” It was woven in two sections and sewn together. The lower edge has an applied fringe, while the one on the side is a self fringe. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, it was common for women to spin fiber into yarn, and take the yarn to a professional weaver for use in a coverlet. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, household textiles were precious belongings, frequently listed in household inventories right along with furniture and tools.

The patterns seen in this cotton and wool Jacquard double-woven coverlet are “Birds of Paradise,” “Penelope’s Flower Pot,” and “Boston Town." The coverlet may have been made in Ohio by Daniel Pursell in the mid-to-late 1860’s. Mr. Pursell was born in Ohio about 1815. He reportedly lived in Portsmouth, Scott County, Ohio. He is listed in the 1850 Ohio Census as a 35-year-old weaver. When the coverlet arrived at the Museum in 1982, a note was attached to it. It read: “coverlet 110 years old or more 1868 approx. Prob. Made by D.Pursell Ports O-Liberty Raised sheep for wool, Grandm helped twist flax GMa born 1848 married 1871 about 23 years old.”

According to the donor of this coverlet, it first belonged to Mrs. Ferdinand O’Neal, who lived just outside Zanesville, Ohio. Her maiden name is believed to have been Wheeler, and in about 1863 she married Mr. O’Neal and moved to a home outside of Zanesville, known as “Greenwood.” Mrs. O’Neal passed the coverlet on to her daughter Marcella O’Neal, who passed it on to Martha Margaret O’Neal. The coverlet is made entirely of wool, and was probably woven (in two sections) between 1840 and 1860. The pattern is similar to the one known as “Cup and Saucer.” The weaver is unknown.

Lizzie Reagan wove this overshot coverlet in Tennessee in about 1930. It is made of cotton and wool, and woven in a design that is sometimes known as "Lee's Surrender." Lizzie Reagan was known as Aunt Lizzie, and was an expert on natural dyes. She was active in the movement to reintroduce "old" methods such as hand spinning and weaving at the Phi Beta Phi Settlement School in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Such schools were started in the 1880s by benevolent societies in an attempt to encourage and preserve the local material culture, and provide the local artists with income.

The name "J Bassler", the date 1842, and the letters " W B " are woven into the lower edge of this coverlet. It is not known if "J Bassler " or "W B" was the weaver of the coverlet. The coverlet is Jacquard woven, with red, blue and green stripes. The design features rows of birds and flowers.This coverlet could be considered part of the "Fancy" period in American decorative arts, as the overall design is bright and full of movement.